INTRODUCTION

In the present work entitled study of products and distribution management of Hindustan Unilever limited an attempt has been made to look into the organization of Hindustan Unilever Limited and evaluate its working, competition, productivity etc.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED, AN OVERVIEW

HINDUSTAN LEVER LIMITED

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), formerly Hindustan Lever Limited (it was renamed in late June 2007 as HUL), is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians with over 20 distinct categories in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. These products endow the company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and sales of nearly Rs. 13718 crores. HUL is also one of the country's largest exporters; it has been recognised as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India. The mission that inspires HUL's over 15,000 employees, including over 1,300 managers, is to "add vitality to life." HUL meets everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. It is a mission HUL shares with its parent company, Unilever, which holds 52.10% of the equity. The rest of the shareholding is distributed among 360,675 individual shareholders and financial institutions. HUL's brands like Lifebuoy, Lux, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond's, Sunsilk, Clinic, Pepsodent, Closeup, Lakme, Brooke Bond, Kissan, KnorrAnnapurna, Kwality Wall's are household names across the country and span many categories soaps, detergents, personal products, tea, coffee, branded staples, ice cream and culinary products. These products are manufactured over 40 factories across India. The operations involve over 2,000 suppliers and

associates. HUL's distribution network comprises about 4,000 redistribution stockists, covering 6.3 million retail outlets reaching the entire urban population, and about 250 million rural consumers. We have analyzed the distribution network of HUL from the following aspects: 1. Evolution of HULs distribution network 2. Transportation & Logistics 3. Channel Design 4. Initiatives taken for channel member management. 5. Field force management 6. Analytical Framework 7. Financial Analysis

Methodology adopted
Significant part of the study depends on secondary source. Material for the present study was collected from the published records in the marketing and research cell of Hindustan Unilever Limited. Various magazines, journals, annual reports and periodicals have been consulted to derive information pertaining to the present study.

Objective of the study :

To go through the Hindustan Unilever limited in India. To review the product profile. To study the distribution network of Hindustan Unilever Limited. To suggest the appropriate measures to streamline and improve the overall efficiency of Hindustan Unilever Limited